Version 0.35 discussion thread

[jdog5000]

This thread is for discussion of all things related to version 0.35, you can get it from the normal download location.

Main changes from 0.3:
- Fix bug from Unofficial Patch causing bombers to idle when there's any potential enemy interceptor in the area
- AI planes will now more actively play defense in threatened cities, retreat only when situation is dangerous
- Improved selection of offensive/defensive bases for planes to take danger of city being captured into account

Better BTS AI v0.35 Changelog
_________

Spoiler :

Bugfix
- Fixed bug in player closeness calculations causing the AI to be blind to its actual proximity to other players
- Fixed bug with needed defenders where the AI would choose to defend a recently captured holy city less than a normal city
- Fixed bug causing player ID to be used in place of actual attitude when checking for denials in bonus, civic, and religion trading
- Fixed bug in paradrop code causing AI to avoid paradropping onto terrain bonuses under certain circumstances

War strategy AI
- Modified how closeness is used for determining who to attack, different settings for regular and Aggressive AI
- Created new function CvTeamAI::AI_calculateBonusWarValue so AI will consider declaring war for resources, weighted towards resources AI doesn't have and plots that are more easily captured
- Modified city attack targetting by terrain bonuses to consider how important bonus is to AI

City AI
- AI will now more likely fill empty transports when enagaged in transcontinental war, making reinforcements and second waves on invasions more likely
- When doing invasions, AI will now be more likely to have cities with free air experience fill vacancies on carriers
- When doing invasions, AI will now have cities with high production or free sea experience more often fill needs for aircraft carriers
- When doing invasions, if AI has at least 50% of its possible missile capacity it will no longer always build missiles

Naval AI
- Modified bombard behavior. Priority remains on supporting player's ground troops, if none then consider supporting other troops with common enemy and spreading out stacks to increase reach of blockade.
- Modified and expanded Solver's changes to retreat from city/fort AI to be more specialized for various unit AI types, only move if there's a real threat
- Increased city danger threshold so enemy ships do not runaway so easily
- Damaged ships will stay unless city is highly threatened

Air AI
- Modified and expanded Solver's changes to retreat from city/fort AI to be more specialized for various unit AI types, only move if there's a real threat
- Increased city danger threshold so enemy aircraft do not retreat so easily
- Attack planes in endangered cities will now more likely to airstrike attackers
- Improved code for defense planes in endangered cities so they stay to defend longer and either airstrike or patrol
- Improved efficiency of danger threshold check for ships and planes
- Improved code for moving planes to offensive or defensive bases to take city threat into account
- AI bombers will no longer consider basing in undefended forts even if the fort is unthreatened
- AI bombers will now consider moving to a city with two defenders (down from requiring 3), change made because of added threat logic and should allow AI to now use almost all of its cities as airbases
- Fixed bug introduced in Unofficial Patch 0.19 causing bombers to skip their turns whenever an interceptor was around

Barbarian AI
- Barb ships will now often blockade cities for a few turns before moving on if they have no nearby targets
- Barb ships trapped by ice or around 1-tile islands are now removed so more can spawn

General AI
- Modified city closeness calculations to use population from both cities, not just pop of the other city
- Created functions for determining when cities share the same water area (lake, ocean)
- Partial implementation of a new A* solver for determining closeness, does not yet affect calculations

Debug
- Added AIAutoPlay mod
- Modified debug mode output to show relevant information for these developments
- Added string to lower right flag help text showing Better BTS AI version number currently running

Better BTS AI also includes Solver's unofficial 3.17 patch version 0.19.

 

[psob2]

tried it in that save i was using to compare dlls and it seems to work like it should.

thanks for fixing the ai's use of bombers, and for all the other improvements that have been made

 

[icemanjsg]

I would like to add for everyone...

In the new version if you mouse over your flag next to the minimap it will tell you you're running version 0.35 as well.

 

[MaxCiv]

I would like to add for everyone...

In the new version if you mouse over your flag next to the minimap it will tell you you're running version 0.35 as well.

It doesn't work for me. I have replaced the dll file, but I don't see any reference to Better AI when I mouse over the flag.

Also in my asset\xml\terrain folder there is no CIV4BonusInfos.xml to overwrite with the one from Better AI. Is that normal? I reinstalled twice just to make sure.

 

[psob2]

the version info when you put the cursor on the flag works ok for me

 

[MaxCiv]

the version info when you put the cursor on the flag works ok for me

Now it's working for me. Not sure what changed. Thanks.

 

[psob2]

glad to hear its working ok

 

[DanF5771]

Hi guys! Thanks for taking care of the attitude bug. There is more work for you here (immunity to collateral damage via Drill2 and Bunkers = my fault ). I found this is also/still unchanged in your current (0.35) sources. Unfortunately Solver seems to be very busy with more important stuff.

Oh yeah and there is also this (Combat promotions with double effect for Air Units).

 

[jdog5000]

Thanks for the updates DanF, I'll certainly get those in for the next version. BTW, the Better BTS AI code is now up on sourceforge so you and others can start making changes directly to the code and check them in so we can multiply our efforts on this ... check out this thread if you're interested.

 

[onomastikon]

Excuse me, can I ask one question?
Before I do: thank you very much for your work on your AI mod!
I am keen on installing your mod, I think that will enhance my play.
However, I am an idiot, and it took a lot of courage and time for me to get the game running as I like it now (Solver 3.17 + BAT 1.0 + small tweak to "global definitions" to make war weariness revert back to 3.13 levels).

I read your installation instructions and am confused. There are two options. The first option is "Install as a mod". You write that the mod's changes will be in effect only when the mod is running, "not in other mods".
1. Does that mean that I cannot run BUG/BAT and yours simultaneously?
2. You write that I can make Civ4 automatically load your mod by altering a file. But you don't say what exactly I need to change where. Can you give a fellow a hand?

Then, you write that the other method (Assets) is ok if you want to always have the changes and mainly for single player -- that's fine with me. But you write "unless you load a mod with its own DLL". I am too stupid to realize if that is the case with the BAT 1.0 I have installed.
3. Will this method conflict with BAt 1.0?
4. Am I correct in understanding that this method requires me to place files in the Program folder, NOT the "//my games" folder

5: If I already have Solver's patch for 3.17 installed, is that ok, or do I need to do that again?

and finally, question 6: In your post above, you say you are going to make that change I am particularly keen on (I posted about this in the main BTS boards, namely Stealth Bomber Collateral Damage, which I have learned comes from Solver's 3.17 making Bunker's making collateral damage -100% instead of -50%.). You say that you are going to deliver a new version of your AI mod which may address this issue. If you do that, and let's say that version is called .36, will I need to reinstall it completely, or only a part of it? Would you recommend I wait until that update before installing, or should I try my luck now?

Thank you very much

 

[Yakk]

I believe the BetterAI includes (all?) of Solver's fixes. Solver is fixing clear bugs -- BetterAI is allowed to change behavior if it makes the AI smarter.

Does BUG/BAT use a recompiled DLL? If so, then no, it is not compatible. If it is a pure-python mod, then it is compatible. Effort might have to be spent to make them work together.

...

There are 3 places to put Civ4 mods.

One: The Civ4 BTS expansion directory, in "assets". This erases the base game version, which can cause problems if you change your mind.

Two: The Civ4 BTS CustomAssets directory. This overrides the base game version, but can be rolled back easily.

Three: In one of many "mods" directories. This means that the mod is only active when you are using it.

You can auto-load a mod by changing the shortcut that launches it. I'd recommend copying the existing BTS shortcut, giving the new shortcut a descriptive name (like Better AI BTS instead of Civ4 Beyond the Sword), then changing adding:
"C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Civ4BeyondSword.exe" mod=\Better BTS AI

the bold portion above to the shortcut description. The above change will load the mod named "Better BTS AI" from your mods directory. The front part of the shortcut depends on where your game is installed on your system.

 

[OnmyojiOmn]

How much of Better AI is in the DLL, compared to the XML/Python files? I'm only using the DLL with BAT, since the other files conflict.